Shutterbug Holiday Book Guide - 2004

Every year in their December issue, Shutterbug Magazine
publishes their list of best photography books of the year in their holiday book
guide. We've taken the liberty to reprint this list from 2004 and
a few of their comments on this page as a guide to some of the better
photography books of the year. I have highlighted a few with the cover images
but all of the books are recognized equally by the magazine.

For the Digital Photographer: Best of
the Best

Classic Photoshop Effects: The Essential Effects Every User Needs to Know by Scott Kelby
Scott Kelby must never sleep. Each year, he bangs out innumerable books
on Photoshop and they are all good! This beautifully designed and
printed tome is a collection of the most popular Photoshop effects laid
out in a wonderfully direct tutorial - yet always friendly fashion. You
can read it back to front or skip to just the stuff you're interested
in, but I would advise you to at least skim the other bits because you
never know what you might find. Kelby packs the book with practical tips
and trademark twisted humor. After you've mastered a particular effect
and haven't used it in a while, go to the back of the book to find the
Reader's Digest version that hits each technique's highlight.

Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide To Color Management by Tim Grey
Tim Grey is the Technical Editor of Peter Burian's new digital imaging
book and both offer excellent production quality, design, and
no-nonsense technical counsel. If you're interested in getting better,
more accurate color from your digital camera or scanner, you'll find it
here. Grey is wise to include a section on what color management can't
do as well as what it can do, and follows that up with an in-depth
Windows-centric exploration of the hardware and software needed to
optimize images from capture to output.

Adobe Photoshop CS Studio Techniques by Ben Willmore
I wished the screen shots were larger but that would make an already
hefty book even bigger. That's my only criticism of the well-designed,
beautifully printed book. Wanna know about Layers? Read Chapter 3. Need
a no-nonsense approach to using Camera Raw? It's all there in Chapter 10
and written in the friendly, easy to understand format that is the
hallmark of Willmore's writing. Confused by channels? Chapter 12 will
have you going in no time. Now that Photoshop CS doesn't come with a
"real" manual, this book is the ultimate Photoshop reference.

Wild Horses of the Dunes by Rich Pomerantz
Chincoteague and Assateague are barrier islands located between the
Maryland and Virginia. They earned their share of fame because of the
presence of wild horses which attract visitors from far and wide. Rich
Pomerantz had deftly captured the beauty of these magnificent animals
along with the colorful tale of the people of Chincoteague and their
Saltwater Cowboys. This wonderful collection of over 100 images is
expertly paired with lively text that explains the history and
traditions that revolve around these wild horses. It's an exciting
adventure that will leave you with a longing to witness the annual pony
swim for yourself. This book won the
2004 Banff Mountain Book Festival Award in the Mountain Image
category.

Rock Faces: The World's Top Rock' n' Roll Photographers and their Greatest Images by Olver Craske
This exciting title lets you explore 40 years in the glamorous world of
rock 'n' roll with a collection of images captured by 12 of the world's
top photographers. it's like a VIP pass to every major concert and
after-party for musical giants like The Rolling Stones, U2, REM,
Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, and many more. Shot in vivid color or stark black
and white, each image is a masterpiece that expresses the raw energy and
freedom that are synonymous with the music industry. I highly recommend
this book so secure your copy before it slips away.